The psychology of evil

How does someone like Adolf Hitler become who he becomes? Like everyone else, once he was a child, going to school, trying to get his parents to love him, and dealing with the questions and disappointments of life. What makes someone like Hitler do the despicable things he did, while other people, even within his own family, go on to live normal lives? Norman Mailer wrestles with these sorts...

Since his acclaimed first novel, The Naked and the Dead, was published exactly 50 years ago, Norman Mailer has been at or near the center of our literary stage. His novels, essays, short stories, criticism, and political and social reportage have earned him much recognition and admiration, including the National Book Award and two Pulitzer Prizes. At the same time, his work has often been...